The present invention relates to a bath accessory, and, more particularly, this invention relates to a bath scrubber that can be used to scrub portions of the body not readily reachable by the hands of the bathers.
Scrubbing of the skin during bathing or showering is beneficial to clean the skin, remove dead skin cells, clean the pores and to invigorate the skin and massage underlying muscles and tendons. A widely used natural material known as luffa sponge is used for scrubbing. A luffa sponge can not be used to scrub the back of the bather easily and luffa sponges tend to become fouled with organic skin debris containing bacteria. The luffa sponges are too soft to massage back or shoulder muscles.
Long handled brushes with stiff bristles or luffa sponges mounted in a base, are used for scrubbing the back of bathers. However, the scrubbing action is parallel to the back. It is difficult to apply to the brush or sponge a massaging force perpendicular to the back by manipulating the long handle. Maintaining the fouled bristles or sponge sanitary is again a problem. The ability to manipulate a long-handled scrubber decreases with diminished joint mobility which usually accompanies advancing age. Of course bathers missing hands or arms are not able to manipulate long handled scrubbers.
Suction cups to anchor a scrubbing device to a wall are shown by Morgan, Walker or Gurrola. The scrubber or massager can be washcloths, brush bristles, foam rubber or plastic fingers.
Gurrola discloses a back massage and scrub fixture in which a suction cup mounted frame supports a pad carrying protruding, resilient, conical fingers. Morgan discloses a suction cup mounted massaging device. The massaging front surface may be toweling tufts or foam rubber tufts 15 as shown in FIG. 5.
The bath scrubber provided in accordance with the invention, can be used to readily scrub the formerly inaccessible surfaces of the body. The scrubber can be used to apply forces perpendicular to the surface of the body providing action which invigorates the skin and massages muscles, tendons and ligaments under the skin. The scrubber of the invention is not as subject to fouling by bacterial or fungal attack or organic material stuffed from the skin of the user.
The bath scrubber of the invention is formed of a layer of open mat of looped material formed of flexible, synthetic resin filaments attached to a stiff or flexible backing layer. The filaments and/or the backing layer can contain antibacterial and/or antifungal agents. Mounting means, such as suction cups or releasable Velcro straps, are provided on the rear surface of the backing for mounting the scrubber on the wall of a shower or bathtub enclosure. The mounting means are preferably a group of mini suction cups since a single large suction cup will not adhere to a tiled wall when the cup is placed over a grout line.
The bather need not use his/her hands to scrub his/her back. He/she first mounts the scrubber on a wall of a shower or tub enclosure. He/she then applies liquid or solid soap to the mat. He/she then moves backward until his/her back contacts the mat and then moves his/her back in a side to side motion while pressing his/her back against the mat. The loops abrade the skin of the back, removing dead skin cells and clean the pores. The pressure of the resilient loop filament layers invigorates the skin cleans and massages the back.
The scrubber can also be used to scrub the chest or other front portion of the bather. The scrubber is easily repositioned by releasing the suction cups or Velcro strips and repositioning the scrubber at a higher or lower location on the wall or tub. Also the scrubber can be removed from the wall to scrub any portion of body or limbs, feet, etc.
These and many other features and attending advantages of the invention will become apparent, as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.